1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of sanitizing a fabric load with steam in a fabric treatment appliance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some fabric treatment appliances, such as a washing machine, a clothes dryer, and a fabric refreshing or revitalizing machine, utilize steam generators for various reasons. The steam from the steam generator can be used to, for example, heat water, heat a load of fabric items and any water absorbed by the fabric items, dewrinkle fabric items, remove odors from fabric items, etc. The steam can also be employed for imparting heat to the fabric load to sanitize the fabric items whereby all or a portion of microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses, present on the fabric items are killed, removed, or otherwise rendered innocuous. However, sanitizing the fabric items with steam heat requires raising the temperature of the fabric items to a relatively high temperature, which can require a relatively large amount of energy. Therefore, it is desirable to sanitize fabric items with steam while consuming less energy.